I was outside my local polling district from 11.00am till closing on Election Day; no I’m not a poll worker, nor was I carrying a sign. I was with some other volunteers and we were passing out a public survey to get responses from W Concord residents about coming changes that may impact our lives. I am a member of the West Concord Task Force appointed by our select board. Our charge is to investigate several plans and recent development issues facing W Concord. Change is going to happen to our village and we want to do it and accept it in the best way possible. We passed out 1700 surveys.

For 9 hrs I passed out survey’s and because they were not campaign material the police allowed us to stand right outside the exits. It was very powerful to see people come to vote , many brought their kides of all ages to go in with them, many elderly showed up in buses, everyone had hope in there eyes and a smile on there face no matter who they were voting for! People were open and treated each other with kindness and patience. ALL day long they kept coming. By 7.30pm it tapered off and empty before 8.00pm.,only one or two stragglers and it was over. Our poll volunteers did a great job!

When I got home, I watched the returns come in with my family. At 11.00pm when the California polls closed they immediately declared the state to Obama, giving him more than enough electoral votes to win, and I cried, and YES WE DID!

John McCain’s concession speech was powerful and honest, again showing his love for his country. It was probably his best speech of his campaign! That speech he reminded me of the John McCain I used to know. He said exactly what needed to be said at that time Then later Obama come on and gave his speech, it was nothing short of brilliant amazing! For me I have not felt that way since JFK.

I am of mixed African and Native American blood. I am a person of color my great great great grandmother was a slave. I have not felt proud to be an American since I was a little boy listening to Kennedy in front of the black and white TV. Over the years I became a student of American History. The more I learned of this history the more ashamed I’ve become of being an American. We don’t need to go very far in this country to find people or populations living in conditions that if found in other countries we would deem horrible. I’ve been to Pine Ridge, Four Corners, and Post Katrina New Orleans, just to mention a few.

My first hope came last February. I was in New Orleans as part of a grass roots project to put together and set up 100 donated computers, for local relief organizations. All the computers were used systems donated by businesses that were in the process of upgrading. Dell donated 100 keyboards, mice and monitors. One night in my motel room I got an email about the Black Eyed Peas “Yes we can” video. I stayed up most of the night involved on the discussion group that was connected to the video.
At that time I wrote about how for me the real miracle was that a black man and a woman were being looked at seriously for president, WOW!!!! I never thought I would live to see that, and from that point on, at least for a little while after, I didn’t care which of them won.

Last night I saw a young black man being interviewed, claiming the door was open, an example was set. Seeing young black folk cheering for America is not a common sight and now I feel less shame and more proud to be an American, for the first time since I was a kid! Now I can say for the first time in life to young people of color, “work hard and you could be President of the country if you want to be!”
I also have been serving as co chair on the Board of an organization called Community Change Inc. in Boston. This organization’s mission is:

Community Change, Inc. (CCI) is a non-profit organization with an outreach of great magnitude. It is a center for action and collaboration among individuals and multiracial grassroots groups in the fight to achieve racial justice and equity.

The organization was founded in 1968 by Horace Seldon shortly after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It was formed in response to Horace’s belief that in order to create social justice, the white community must engage in self-examination and support self-determination by communities of color.
www.communitychangeinc.org/index.html
On election day there were no storms anywhere over the US!
Obama Took Indiana……. Yes We Can! Bloomington Indiana home of the KKK!
He took Virginia and North Carolina former Major Slave States.
And when he stands on the Whitehouse stairs he will be standing on stairs slaves built!

YES WE CAN INDEED!

So Yes we can! We have taken the first step and there is hope but we must not be fooled.
It is only the first step and just because we elected a black man to be president does not mean we have solved our racial problems! President Obama did say it may take more than one term, we need to be patient and still move forward.
At the same time now is a window of hope. Maybe if we keep talking with those around us the WINDOW will allow more to have hope and that energy will continue to spread.

So no matter who you voted for you can’t deny…. the feeling of hope that is now in so many people.
That feeling is real. Let’s take to the next level.

And to all those helping make it so…..THANK YOU

Jimi Two Feathers